Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate!-Chapter 203: Patriarch’s Last Stand

Patriarch, Tetsu von Blackmore’s POV:

I crashed to the ground.

My breath caught in my throat as searing pain erupted through my body. My left arm—gone. Just gone. Severed clean by that accursed demon’s blade. The agony was unbearable, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stay conscious. Blood poured from the wound like a river, but I summoned every ounce of my fading aura to cauterize the bleeding and steel my failing muscles.

This isn’t over.

It can’t be.

I could still hear the mocking laughter of that wretched Overlord demon echoing through the battlefield. Its voice scraped against my soul like nails on rusted steel.

I looked around—desperately—for any of my comrades still standing.

Cain... he had fallen. His body was battered, and a deep wound across his chest leaked blood with every faint breath he managed. His once-glorious fire magic was flickering... fading.

Lucius...

He had collapsed just moments ago, his body sprawled across Princess Aria’s. He had shielded her with everything he had—his own life. He wasn’t moving.

He wasn’t breathing.

And the princess... she was screaming. A cry filled with devastation and grief. It was a sound no father, no warrior, no human should ever have to hear.

Gritting my teeth, I clenched my trembling fists. I slammed my fist against my own leg, willing it to move—willing my body to rise.

"Damn it, MOVE! At the very least... I must protect the princess!"

With a pained groan, I forced myself back to my feet, swaying, barely standing. My bones screamed. My vision blurred. But I reached into my cloak and pulled forth a small silver locket—a keepsake that never left my side.

Inside it, a faded picture.

Ayame von Blackmore, my first beloved wife.Lilia von Blackmore, My second wife. She is now the one who takes care of me and fills the void in my heart after Ayame left.

I held the locket to my chest.

"Please... give me strength. Just a little more. Let me stand... one last time."

As if hearing my prayer, my trembling hand began to steady.

I turned and saw her.

Princess Aria von Braveheart, the Divine Valkyrie, was unleashing the full extent of her wrath. I had never—never—seen her lose control like this. Her magic flared with raw emotion. Reckless. Furious. Beautiful.

From the heavens above, a golden light descended like judgment from the gods. Her body became encased in radiant lion-shaped armor, the ancient symbol of House Braveheart. She grasped her colossal golden war axe, and with a scream that shattered the sky, she surged forward.

Her target: Nosef, the 3rd-ranked Demon Overlord.

Her strike was monumental.

A pillar of divine light carved a chasm through the clouds, blinding everything in its path. The sky itself cracked. The battlefield split open. For a fleeting moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Surely that had ended him.

But then... the impossible happened.

The blood that had spilled from his form began to rise—coalescing, twisting, reforming—and from that pool of cursed essence, Nosef was reborn. Not just revived, but untouched. Unharmed. As if her divine judgment had never touched him at all.

And then...

He turned on her.

Princess Aria, drained from her attack, fell to one knee, barely holding her axe. Her mana was gone, her divine light dimmed.

And he began torturing her.

His blood-forged blade stabbed through her side. She screamed in agony. I saw red.

"NO!!"

With the last remnants of my aura, I exploded forward like a meteor.

I appeared behind Nosef in a flash, raising my sword high.

[Blackmore Swordsmanship: Black Sword Aura]

"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!"

SLASH!

My blade cleaved through him. I felt it connect. I felt the resistance as it tore through bone and sinew. Nosef’s head flew from his shoulders and hit the ground with a sickening thud.

He fell.

I gasped for breath, my chest heaving.

"Take that, you damned demon..."

Without wasting another moment, I rushed to Aria’s side, catching her as she collapsed.

But then...

She looked past me—her eyes wide with terror. Her mouth opened to scream.

I froze.

A chill ran down my spine.

I turned.

And there he was.

Nosef—head fully regenerated, grinning like a beast that could not be slain. The speed of his recovery was inhuman, unholy.

Before I could react—before I could even lift my blade—he stabbed me.

Straight through the center of my chest.

The blood blade pierced deep.

I coughed, hard—hot blood gushing from my mouth.

I could feel it... my heart had been grazed. My lungs filled with liquid. The pain was... fading now. Replaced by cold.

So cold.

My legs buckled. The world spun. The sounds of war grew distant, muffled—like a memory I was being forced to forget.

Is this it?

Is this what it feels like... to die?

I looked at Aria one last time, still clinging to consciousness. I hoped she could escape. I hoped someone would come.

And then, with the last of my strength, I whispered—

"I’m sorry... Naoki... Lilia... Mark... Milly... Ayame..."

And the light faded from my eyes.

....

I was dreaming.

In the dream... I came home.

Not wounded, not broken—alive.

I returned to the familiar halls of Blackmore estate, resumed my daily duties—managing the territories, training the knights, and sharing quiet evenings with my family.

I sat under the stars in the rooftop garden, beside Lilia. As we always did. Sipping tea, talking about our children’s progress, laughing at memories.

I saw myself training Mark, Milly, and Naoki. They had grown strong. They had grown close—like true siblings.

Especially Naoki... who had become a proud hero of our bloodline.

To him, I had passed the mantle of Patriarch.

And for the first time in decades,

I felt peace.

I was finally free to rest.

In the dream, I stood before a quiet gravestone beneath a golden dusk.

It was hers.

Ayame’s.

"I’m home, Ayame," I whispered, my voice shaking.

"Finally... I can be with you again."

Tears spilled down my cheeks. I clenched my trembling hands.

"I’m sorry," I whispered. "I wasn’t the father I should’ve been. I wasn’t close with Naoki... or Mark... or Milly. I was too rigid. Too stern. I didn’t know how to be soft with them."

"And now... I’ve died... without even saying goodbye..."

I collapsed to my knees before her grave, the guilt weighing heavier than my wounds ever had.

"But Ayame... even if I failed as a father... I gave everything I had as a Patriarch. I gave my life—for them. For our children. For our name. That... that’s the only pride I have left."

"And now... I’m ready."

I closed my eyes.

When I opened them... I was no longer in front of her grave.

I stood atop a hill—a vast sea of violet flowers danced around me.

That place... it was ours.

Where we used to laugh and share meals.

Where we dreamed of the future.

Where I had knelt down—nervous and trembling—and offered her a ring, alongside a single violet.

The flower of loyalty. Of eternal love.

And there... at the top of the hill...

"Ayame..."

"Did you call me, my love?"

It was her. Ayame.

she answered, her voice soft and teasing.

She wore a flowing white dress, her long black hair cascading like silk in the breeze. Her smile—it shattered something deep inside me. The longing, the pain, the years of grief—I couldn’t contain it. I ran to her, pulled her into my arms.

Finally...

"Finally I’ve found you again..." I buried my face into her chest, sobbing without shame. All my strength was gone. All that remained was love.

She gently stroked my hair.

"There, there," she cooed. "You missed me that much, huh? You’ve gotten good at being sweet... it’s making me blush, my darling."

"Heh... you’re still just as cheeky," I muttered, laughing through tears.

"And you’re still my handsome brute," she winked, lightly running her hand down my chest. "Mmm... still got those muscles too, huh? I could stroke them all day."

Gods, she hadn’t changed at all.

Still the charming, mischievous woman who had stolen my heart.

I held her tighter. She cupped my cheeks gently, her eyes soft.

"But listen to me... I’ve been watching you. I’ve been waiting here. But it’s not your time."

I blinked. "What?"

She smiled, bittersweet. "You still have a role to play. People down there still need you. You can’t stay with me yet... not now."

"But I want to—!"

BONK!

She headbutted me.

"Ow—!"

"Don’t argue with me!" she scolded. "Or I swear I’ll spank your sexy ass!"

I sighed. Of course. Even here, she had the final word.

I smiled.

"I understand. I’ll go... fulfill my duty. I don’t want my beloved wife to be angry with me."

We laughed together. Like old times. Like we never parted.

Slowly, my body began to fade—becoming light.

Before I vanished, I kissed her. Long. Deep. True.

"I love you, Ayame."

"I love you too, Tetsu... now go."

And then—

I shattered into light and returned to the world of the living.

...

My eyes opened slowly.

Tears were streaming down my face—not from pain, but from the warmth of our reunion. It was real.

I had no time to waste. I could feel the gaping wound in my chest, the blood soaking through my armor, my aura barely holding on.

But I stood.

I rose again.

I gripped my sword, using it as a crutch, and looked around—

And my blood froze.

Nosef was not alone anymore.Another Overlord demon had arrived—and with a cruel strike, he stabbed Princess Aria through the chest.

She screamed in horror—

That name—Lucius.

Lucius von Starlight. The Saint Sword of Solis.

A hero among heroes—now a demon. An Overlord.

I couldn’t believe it. But I didn’t have the luxury of doubt.

He was going to finish her off.

I roared and summoned every last ounce of my power. The battlefield quaked.

Forced Aura Burst exploded from me, my body screaming in protest.

This was it.

Time to unleash the skill I had vowed never to use again.

The cursed blade technique I had sealed away in fear.

It was the blade of sacrifice. A double-edged soul breaker.

[Blackmore Forbidden Swordsmanship: BLACKHEART!]

Half my body was engulfed in a storm of dark-purple energy and centered in my heart. My hair grew long and wild, flowing like living smoke.

My right eye burst into an ethereal, burning violet flame.

My greatsword became a massive blade of pure black energy, carved with a howling wolf—the embodiment of shadow and wrath.

Speed. Power. Fivefold.

And for ten seconds, magic itself bends to my will—none may cast, none may escape.

I vanished and reappeared between Aria and Lucius in a blink.

CLANG!

Our blades collided—I was stronger.

The sheer pressure of my aura blinded them.

In that moment of confusion—I struck.

"[Gaze of the Blackheart]"

Their magic—severed.

I unleashed a devastating slash.

The wave of energy tore the earth asunder.

Nosef’s chest—ripped open.

Lucius’s arm—cleaved clean.

Both were thrown back, bleeding and broken.

I stood tall.

They were wounded. They could be defeated.

But then—my heart seized.

Pain beyond pain.

The price of this power—was death itself.

My time was running out.

This battlefield... will be my grave.

But if I fall—they fall with me.

Let this be the legacy of Tetsu von Blackmore.

...

..